Written Answers

Wednesday 2 August 2000

Scottish Executive

Enterprise

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what actions have been taken since the launch of Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) in March to ensure that there is a coherent and consistent approach to dealing with companies in difficulty across Scotland.

Henry McLeish: Local response teams have been established across Scotland and are currently working on contingency plans for improving their dealings with companies. On Tuesday 25 July, I launched the PACE website, (www.scotland.gov.uk/pace) which will make available a range of reference material and other information, including recent publications and contact details that will assist the public sector approach to companies in difficulty. The website will permit local agencies and all interested parties (including businesses themselves) to access information and advice on dealing with company difficulties and to identify key local contacts. The site also offers the opportunity to share experience and good practice via a discussion forum, where views, information and examples of best practice can be easily exchanged.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) marine laboratories and (b) laboratories engaged in fishing research there are in Scotland, who owns each such laboratory and how each is funded.

Mr John Home Robertson: There are five marine laboratories in Scotland as follows:

  Fisheries Research Services (FRS) Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen, an Agency of the Scottish Executive (FRS also comprises the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory at Faskally).

  The Centre for Coastal and Marine Sciences, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, a research institute of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

  The Gatty Marine Laboratory, St Andrews, run by the University of St Andrews and incorporating the Sea Mammal Research Unit of NERC.

  The Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS), privately funded with facilities operated by the Highlands and Islands University.

  The Marine Laboratory Millport (MLM), a small field station and teaching unit run by the Universities of Glasgow and London.

  All, with the exception of SAMS and MLM, engage in fisheries research.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) public and (b) private proprietors of rivers there are and where this information is publicly available.

Mr John Home Robertson: Information about the heritable property, including salmon fisheries, is held by the Registers of Scotland, but an analysis in the form requested is not available.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) public and (b) private owners of fishing rights there are and where this information is publicly available.

Mr John Home Robertson: This information is not publicly available.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) public and (b) private owners of fishing rights derive income from angling.

Mr John Home Robertson: This information is not held centrally. Salmon Fisheries Boards raise their income on the basis of the valuation of salmon fishing rights in their areas but such valuations do not necessarily reflect the value, or even the existence, of commercial lettings.

Local Government Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total income, in cash and real terms, from (a) council tax in each year since its introduction; (b) the community charge in each year it was in existence, and (c) domestic rates in each year for which figures are available was in (i) Scotland as a whole and (ii) each local authority area.

Mr Jack McConnell: For council tax information for years 1996-97 onwards, I refer to the answer given to question S1W-8670. Council tax and community charge figures (in cash terms) for years prior to this are given in Appendix 1 of successive editions of Scottish Local Government Financial Statistics (formally published annually by the Scottish Office and now by the Scottish Executive), copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 7132). Prior to local government reorganisation in 1996-97, the data are presented for Scotland and the former Scottish Regions and Islands Areas. Information on domestic rates is not held centrally.

Ministerial Correspondence

Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what its targets are for responding to letters to Scottish Ministers from members of the public and to provide details, broken down by department, of its performance in meeting these targets for the period from 1 October 1999 until 31 January 2000.

Donald Dewar: The information requested in relation to the target of 20 working days for the period 1 October 1999 to 31 January 2000 is detailed in the table below.

  


Department 


Number of replies due 


% of replies to members of the public issued within 
20 working day target 




TOTAL 


5,523 


74% 




Crown Office 


75 


69% 




Development 


2,052 


85% 




Education 


553 


53% 




Enterprise & Lifelong Learning 


306 


63% 




Health 


690 


62% 




Justice 


1,177 


76% 




Rural Affairs 


482 


74% 




Others 


188 


54% 




  The figures in the table record the number of letters written to Scottish Executive Ministers or to other Government Ministers by members of the public where the subject matter is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive.

Rural Affairs

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it is contributing to the pilot study into the boosting of consumption of berries to be undertaken by the Soft Fruit Growers Association; in which areas and over what timescale the pilot study will take place; whether the findings of the study will be made publicly available, and when the project will be extended to the whole of Scotland.

Ross Finnie: I have encouraged the Scottish Soft Fruit Growers to submit a proposal for a pilot study. I would not wish to speculate on the details of a proposal which I have not yet received.

Social Work

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the fuel costs of each local authority social work department have been annually since 1997.

Iain Gray: This information is not held centrally.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the design proposals for the Holyrood Parliament have been finalised.

Sir David Steel: The "Stage D" scheme design proposals for the Holyrood Parliament building were finalised at a meeting of the SPCB on 20 June 2000. The Holyrood Progress Group announced the achievement in Parliamentary News Release 029/2000 on 21 June 2000.